Long Life Brake Fluid

[BlueMax]

I have a 1994 Toyota Corolla T-Spirit D-4D, turbo-diesel.

Despite the age of the car, it has done only 50,000 miles.

I am retired, drive very little these days and go away during winter months. It rests in the garage most of the time.

Days of 'rust buckets' have long gone and the Corolla being a Toyota, body work should be good for another 20 years!

As we know coolant has a 10-year life, but the brake fluid change interval is 2 years. Mainly because hydraulic fluids absorb moisture.

So I was curios when I saw ads for Motul DOT 5.1 100% synthetic brake fluid. It claims to be long life.

But no claims as to how long is "long life"

Offering from another company is SynLube DOT 5.1 - Long-Life Non-Silicone Synthetic

http://www.synlube.com/brake.htm

It claims, "Typical service life up to 10 years for DOT 5.1 Extra Long Life Formula"

Googling for 'long life brake fluid' found few others making similar claims.

Any views on these 'long life' brake fluids?!

Would they be compatable with the hoses, seals and bits used in the good old Corolla?

Thanks

[CorollaD4D]

just do a brake fluid change with normal DOT4 or DOT4.1 or whatever the normal standard stuff is if you really want to. personally i don't believe in brake fluid changes, it's all poppycock mate. just a gimmick by the dealers to take your hard earned money. how can you expect me to believe that brake fluid needs changing every 1/2 years yet an air filter can last nearly 30,000 with just "inspections" in between. for the hassle of "inspecting" a part that costs £10 you may as well change it! anyway my car is 7 years old and the brake fluid has never been changed...

[BlueMax]

Petroleum-based oils damage rubber seals and hoses in the braking system. Brake fluids (DOT 3, 4 & 5.1) are glycol-ether based and are hygroscopic; which means they absorb moisture from the air under normal humidity levels. This happens irrespective of whether the car is driven or not.

Due to compression, temperature of the brake fluid can become very high. Boiling point lowers as the moisture level increase and vaporization occur. Because vapour is compressible, it negates hydraulic fluid transfer of braking force.

The corrosion inhibitors also degrade over time and can cause the pistons to seize up.

I have heard of electronic testers and test strips to measure moisture content.

Has anyone tried them? Easy to use? Effective? Expensive?

Cheers!

[Jamesbelfast]

Under no circumstances should DOT 5 brake fluid be used in a brake system designed for DOT 3 or 4. DOT 5 is an entirely different product.

The problem with the so-called moisture testers is that you can only test the fluid is in the reservoir which is not a true reflection of what is in the rest of the system. Fluid changes are time related not just how many miles have been travelled.

Many manufacturers not just Toyota advise regular fluid changes.

As modern brake systems rely on electrionic controls for ABS and ESP, etc if the brake fluid is contaiminated in any way then it is likely to become less efficient.

It never ever pays to skimp on brake maintenance.

Brakes are like your best friends - you miss them most when they ain't there.

[CorollaD4D]

I don't understand the DOT rating system but which ratings are safe for use in our cars? DOT4? And since a higher DOT rating means higher boiling point then in theory doesn't it make sense to use the highest DOT rating available for our cars?

[nrgizerbunny]

Just to reiterate.

If your car has standard brakes you can use DOT 3, DOT 4 and DOT 5.1

DOT 5 will trash your seals and is usually for racing.

[Red Yaris 54]

just do a brake fluid change with normal DOT4 or DOT4.1 or whatever the normal standard stuff is if you really want to. personally i don't believe in brake fluid changes, it's all poppycock mate. anyway my car is 7 years old and the brake fluid has never been changed...

It might be a good idea for you to get your brake fluid changed at the earliest opportunity as in the unfortunate event of you being involved in a fatal accident resulting in your car being subject to a police "engineering inspection" you may find yourself in serious trouble and without insurance cover

Toyota along with almost all other manufacturers recommend a fluid change at every 2 years. This is done for the technical reasons quoted elsewhere on thiis thread and NOT as a moneymaking scheme.

To ignore those recommendations is not far short of criminal negligence which you would not really want on your mind for the relatively low cost of a fluid change

GET IT DONE!

[BlueMax]

Thanx 'Jamesbelfast' and 'nrgizerbunny' and pointing out the mistake in my second post.

I should have written "Brake fluids (DOT 3, 4 & 5.1) are glycol-ether based"

DOT 5 is a silicone based fluid. It should be used only to fill non-ABS systems that have not been previously filled with glycol based fluid.

Going back to the OP, does anyone have experience or expert opinions of 'long life' brake fluids?

Would a manufacturer blatantly mislead customers on something of critical importance such as brake fluid?!

[nrgizerbunny]

the bit thats a con is the cost for them to change your brake fluid. I think toyota charge £50-60.

the fluid costs £10 max (and that is for expensive stuff), car on the ramp and go round with the pressure bleeder is no more than 10 minutes.

If you are doing it by yourself then I would allow an hour or so to jack up each corner.

[AisinW]

On 10/2/2011 at 9:05 PM, BlueMax said:

Thanx 'Jamesbelfast' and 'nrgizerbunny' and pointing out the mistake in my second post.

I should have written "Brake fluids (DOT 3, 4 & 5.1) are glycol-ether based"

DOT 5 is a silicone based fluid. It should be used only to fill non-ABS systems that have not been previously filled with glycol based fluid.

Going back to the OP, does anyone have experience or expert opinions of 'long life' brake fluids?

Would a manufacturer blatantly mislead customers on something of critical importance such as brake fluid?!

Brake fluid is generally not problematic in Toyota with 5-6 years interval in non hybrid or 7-10 years in hybrid.  Fortunately European get 2 years mainenance as their habit. it does not hurt the car, just hurt the wallet, extra £150 every 2 years or unacessary fluid change.  I can guarantee the water content is less than 2% after 5 years in any Toyota with proper maintenance. 

You can use DOT3, DOT 5.1 or 4 in Toyota.  Toyota sold DOT3 and DOT 5.1 for a good price. not that expensive

 

[Stivino]

£5 in Asda for Carlube 500ml DOT 4.  That is the price today in December 2021.

[AisinW]

https://toyotadirectparts.co.uk › parts
Toyota Brake Fluid Dot 5.1

DOT5.1  is much better brake fluid than DOT4 and more resistance from degradation, less viscous, and genuine Toyota with right additives/anticorrosion. £6.7

Some DOT4 are for racing but 4-5x more like Castrol racing with very high boiling point. For longevity and normal use, DOT3 and DOT5.1 are better than DOT4, because they are more tolerance to water content. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

This is a 10 year old topic, and there is little point in resurrecting topics of this age to just give general advice. Please consider the age of the topic before replying.